Generations Family,

Spring is here! Easter services were all amazing, and we are in full swing for 2021. Things seem to be moving more quickly now, so I wanted to make sure to communicate two big things to you.

1. Los Angeles and Orange Counties are officially now “orange tier” for CoViD restrictions.

As you have already heard on the news, LA and OC are opening up and removing more restrictions. As always, Southern Californians will figure out how that applies to their own lives, but as a church it means new things for us as well. Churches are now open to 50% capacity. In response to that, we are adding chairs back in the sanctuary this week. We have had every other row removed to help with social distancing (at least front and back). We will now have about 175 chairs in the sanctuary this coming Sunday. Here are some things we are asking of you: 

  • Please wear a mask at all times inside the building. 
  • Please consider who is in front of you or behind you when you sit down. 
  • Continue using social distancing guidelines. 

You never know when your considerations (mask, seating, etc.) will serve the people around you and help them to feel comfortable in church. As more and more of us are vaccinated, and California continues to decline in CoViD cases, we are hoping to see more people return. Easter was a great time of worshipping with people gathered here in-person and online. The more people begin to come back to “normal”, the better for us in many ways. While we do that, we want to remain safe and considerate of others.

2. The City of Cerritos is removing trees in our parking lot in order to help us fix some long-standing problems. 

The other big thing around here also began on Monday. That is the City of Cerritos removing all our big and problematic trees. It is with some mixed emotions to see the big beautiful trees go, but necessary. One of the biggest issues we inherited when we bought the property was the decades of the prior owner letting the trees over grow and not get cared for. The tree roots affected our plumbing, electrical, asphalt, and foundation. The city restrictions also limited us in what we could do (only trim back a certain amount, or remove a certain amount, even though the trees were a huge issue). Finally, the city leaders worked out a deal with us, and even brought the city crews in to remove the trees themselves.

It might look pretty empty when you show up next time! A lot has been done. However, we will be redoing the hardscape (parking lot and sidewalks) as well as the landscape over the next several months. We will be talking to all of you about what comes next in the days to come. It is a huge undertaking, and will take us quite some time to complete.

For now, I wanted to update you on things and let you know what is taking place. I hope to be back in touch as we get more and more back to whatever our new “normal” will be.

For now, please know we, as a leadership of elders, deacons, and staff, are all working together to keep us connected to Jesus and to one another.

Grace,
Pastor Jeff